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It turns out, John Bender of Hilliard, Ohio, who built and owns the white Ben-Dera, created and still owns the car's twin, painted gold. "I went to all the auto shows and whatnot and wanted my dream car," Bender said. "So I just decided to build one." He employed a 2.3-liter Ford Pinto four-cylinder but placed it in the center of the car's chassis. The Pinto's front sub-frame went under the front of the Ben-Dera, then a pair of leaf springs and the Pinto's rear axle kept the rear of the car from dragging. Fiberglass panels over a tubular space frame constituted the outrageous body. The second car used a 2.8-liter V-6 from a Mercury Bobcat, dismissed the three fins on the back, and added air conditioning. Bender said he started the four-cylinder car in the early to mid-1980s and spent about three years and $40,000 on it. The second took less time because he already had the molds developed. "I was going to sell them (he advertised them for $19,750 as recently as seven years ago) but wasn't able to find a buyer," Bender said. "I got worried about people suing me." Would you buy it? According to CarsThatNeverMadeIt, it was built in 1988. Source: Hemmings (Daniel Strohl from November 2005 issue of Hemmings Classic Car)

The "Bonneville Boss" is a unique, Toronado-powered, lowboy transporter. Its extreme cab-forward design, dual steering front axles, center operator's seat, and hydraulically-operated ramp carries Tony Fox's prototype "Proud American" hydrogen peroxide rocket-powered Land Speed Record car. Now 88 years old, Tony Fox was a prolific inventor and entrepreneur most successful in designing and building commercial trash compactors. The Boss was designed to transport the "Proud American" across rugged terrain to reach the most remote, pristine dry lakes for its record attempts and was used only during the attempt by Fox and his driver, Ky Michaelson, to find sponsorship for the LSR attempt in the '70s. Fox Industries promoted the compactors by campaigning the "Pollution Packer" hydrogen peroxide rocket dragsters during the early '70s. The Pollution Packers set 21 FIA and national records. Its FIA Class C one kilometer standing start record of 234.778 mph set September 30, 1972, at Bonneville, still stands on the FIA record books. Images: sixmania.fr Source: GregWapling.com

Customizing legend Gene Winfield constructed Strip Star for Bob Larivee’s Promotions Incorporated show circuit, a traveling exhibition that allowed custom car makers to show their vehicles to a wide audience, gain awards and publicity for their work, and, for many, attract clients. Mastercraftsman Gene Winfield hand-built the one-of-a-kind, asymmetric body, which he designed in collaboration with Ernie Graves and mounted on a modified 1946 Ford chassis. 📸/📚: Petersen Automotive Museum

Initially discovered in the March 1978 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, the camper was later seen in the blockbuster movie Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Based on a VW minibus frame that’s had some serious protracting done to it, the Phoenix converted into a 3.5 meter-wide tent for four and had space for a sink, stove, and an icebox. It was designed as a do-it-yourself alteration. Provided you can get your hands on an old VW chassis; you can build your own today by ordering the plans from automotive DIY-er Robert Q. Riley. Source: Abgefahrener Camper auf VW-Basis aus dem Jahr 1973, der in .... https://www.kraftfuttermischwerk.de/blogg/abgefahrener-camper-auf-vw-basis-aus-dem-jahr-1973-der-in-total-recall-gezeigt-wurde/

George Barris: the designer of the original Batmobile, in the 1960s designed the “world’s first x-rated car” The Love Machine. Its main characteristics were: a red velvet cushioning, a rotating circular bed, a mirrored ceiling, and a crystal chandelier. 📚/📸: UnusualInfo.com

This Ed Newton custom show car modified hot rod with bubbles for a windshield, body moldings like an insect, multiple tailpipes, and racing wheels. The brainchild of RoAcH, Inc., the custom show car was designed by Ed Newton and built by Dan Woods, Don Boeke, and a band of merry men. The car was an ISC show car for years. The debut was a monster party during the 1978 NHRA Spring Nationals. The party celebrated the opening of RoAcH, Inc.'s new 100,000 sq ft. facility, the top fuel drag racing team, the RoAcH CoAcH, and Stan Peterson's wedding. After hundreds of hours, the RoAcH CoAcH was born. Source: roach-studios.com Images: www.hubgarage.com; egyptianbody.com

Ed had been riding trikes for fifteen years when he decided to make the Globe Hopper (named by Robert Williams). Globe Hopper had a big gas tank, trouble-free 1800cc VW engine, and an automatic transmission that he pulled out of a Porsche 914 coupe. Ed ended up replacing the fuel injection system with two SU carburetors. Ed drove to Alaska in the Globe Hopper, fashioned a little like a ’34 Ford Roadster. Source: ratfink.com Images: Pinterest; biggasser.com

Rotar stands for "Roth Air Car." Ed used two Bell Auto Parts-built 650cc Triumph twins laid on their side. A high-pressure prop was mounted to each engine, creating a cushion of air that allowed Rotar to propel itself on land and water. Directional flaps on the bottom were plywood, and the rear fin was fashioned after Ed's '59 Cadillac. This is an excellent example of the value of Ed Roth's custom cars. This car sold a few years back for over $200,000! Source: ratfink.com Image: Pinterest

Road Agent was the first of many of Ed Roth's custom rear-engine show cars. Ed used a Corvair engine and a uniquely turned upside-down Corvair transmission. Other features include a frame made from chrome-moly tubing and a ’37 Ford suspension with a single VW torsion bar. Completed in 1964, Road Agent was displayed on the cover of the April issue of Rod & Custom. Source: ratfink.com Images: Kustomrama & Pinterest

Brubaker Box was a kit car designed by Curtis Brubaker. It is considered the first minivan. Brubaker got the idea from Volkswagen Minibuses and attempted to update the concept. The kit was designed to fit on the chassis of a Volkswagen Beetle. In 1972 after a deal with Volkswagen could not be reached, Brubaker began buying completed Beetles and converting them to Boxes, selling the excess pieces. However, this scheme did not prove profitable, and very few boxes were ever constructed. Brubaker filed for bankruptcy the same year. Investors in the company tried to continue manufacturing the Box in various ways, the only success being Mike Hansen’s Automecca, located in Chatsworth, California, in 1974 with its “Sports Van.” Photo Sources: justacargeek.com, Hemmings.com Text Source: Wikipedia

The Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering of Turin made a futuristic version of the Cinquecento which they then developed into an all-wheel-drive version. It featured a central driving position with passengers’ seats set further back on either side. Sources: AllCarIndex.com Images: www.idea.institute.it, CarStyling.ru

It’s a Dune Buggy ATV built for Wankel Power by Justin L. Dantzler, Clark Valentine, and John A. Vernon at Santa Monica beach in 1970. It is a scale model 1, nothing about its engine. It was named The Skink after the little prairie lizard, which could have indicated the future destiny of this dune buggy at six wheels. The wheelbase is 76 inches, and it can be configured in two, four, or six-wheel drive. The pilot compartment is fully closed. Sources: ArtCenterStories (discovered on Tumblr) published December 2019, sixmania.com

For 1989, GM had two futuristic concept trucks that we assume they hoped would stir enough interest to guide them in their product-making decisions. One was the youth-oriented Pontiac Stinger compact SUV. Though it wasn't particularly powerful — its engine was only good for 170 HP — it had a high level of utility, including features such as a removable picnic table and portable radio. These features weren't put to use, as Pontiac wasn't going to build an SUV in the near future. Ironically, many of these ideas found the ill-fated and poorly designed Pontiac Aztec home. The other concept truck was the Chevy XT-2 concept, which stood for the Chevy Experimental Truck #2. This futuristic-looking, the performance-oriented vehicle featured a Corvette suspension, a front-engine/RWD layout built on a platform similar to the F-body Camaro, and a 4.5-liter V6 good for 360 horsepower 315 lb-ft of torque. For quarter-mile acceleration in about 13 seconds flat and a 0-to-60 mph time of 6 seconds. The XT-2 was designed as a pace car to be used in what was then the CART PPG Indy Car World Series, which is now a weird mix of words to see together. The truck went through two designs before engineers landed on the final one. The first version was fairly wild and had the engine mounted under the bed. The second version was a based on a passenger-car platform with a FWD/AWD layout and a smaller V6 engine, a concept not unlike the crossovers that would follow in the mid-2000s. So how did they end up with the final version? According to a press release provided by GM, "Given the consumer preference to small, sporty trucks, the evolution of the Chevrolet PPG XT-2 Pace Truck was natural." So, in 1989, you had the Pontiac Stinger and the Chevy XT-2 from GM as the radically futuristic vehicles. But that wasn't what happened. The designers and planners clearly understood that crossovers and sportier car-based trucks were the way forward after the previous gas crisis. Source: Cliff Gromer "Trucks Dream Haulers" - Popular Mechanics, Sep 1990; Matt Hardigree - jalopnik.com Images: Concept Car Central; Custom_Cab's photostream; www.pickuptrucks.com

The Autobianchi Runabout was designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone and was shown at the 1969 Turin Motor Show. The car featured a mid-mounted Fiat 128 engine and gearbox. The wedge shape design took many styling cues from contemporary power-boat designs. And the distinctive headlamps were mounted on the rollover bar. The prototype was a serious proposal at the time and became the bases of the Fiat X1/9. Sources: Carstyling.ru & Wikipedia Images: oldconceptcars

The White Elephant is a one-off TVR prototype powered by a Holden V8 5 liter 440hp engine with a Borg Warner T5, 5-speed manual transmission. Peter Wheeler, Managing Director of TVR, commissioned the prototype based on a Tasmin 350 FHC bodyshell designed by John Ravenscroft and a modified SEAC tubular race chassis designed by Neil Anderson. The nose was modified from another prototype, the 420 Sports Saloon. It was eventually decided that this 170mph car was too dated for the 1990s and that the Holden engine logistics could also be a problem. So the project was canceled in favor of the TVR Griffith, and it laid dormant in the TVR 'graveyard' at the factory. In July of 2004, just before the TVR factory closed, the car was rescued by Howard Bryan and has undergone a nine-year restoration. Sources: @drivetribe & @classiccarsmagazine (Instagram)

Looking at the photos of this behemoth of an automobile, it’s very easy to dismiss it as a photoshopped creation that does not exist in reality – there’s a helicopter parked on the car’s boot area. However, it’s not a fake and rather is the world’s longest car ever built. Called the “American Dream,” this massive limousine was built by California custom car guru Jay Ohrberg. It measures in at a stunning 100 feet long, which earned it the title of being the longest car, certified by Guinness World Records in the mid-'90s. Ohrberg chose a golden 1970s Cadillac Eldorado as the starting point for his mega project, which he began working on in the late 1980s. The 100-foot long stretched limo has a whopping 26 wheels and two separate driver’s cabins. To make the American Dream even more special, Ohrberg decided to give it some of the most outrageous amenities, which include a helipad. In addition to that, the stretched limo has a Jacuzzi, diving board, king-sized water bed, as well as a small lace and candelabra-festooned living room. The American Dream was a show car that was trailered on flatbed trucks from location to location. It was leased to a company that used it as a promotional vehicle until the lease ran out. It was left abandoned in a New Jersey warehouse for many years before it resurfaced in 2012 at a salvage auction in a very bad state, which seemed like the end of the road for the American Dream. However, New York’s Automotive Teaching Museum acquired it in 2014 and used it to teach their students about customizing, designing, and fixing vehicles. We hope it’s restored to its old glory someday. Sources: Luxury Launches, @motortrend

The Mercer 35J Raceabout was considered to be America’s first sports car. Back in the day, a Mercer Raceabout could be taken from the showroom to the racetrack where it could generally beat all competitors. Mercer built approximately 150 J-35 models between 1911-1914 in Trenton, NJ. In 1914, the car sold for $2,600. Today the remaining Mercer Raceabouts are considered among the most desirable of all brass-era cars. This car is powered by a side-valve, T-Head, smooth running, 4-cylinder engine coupled to a four-speed transmission. The surprisingly quiet four-cylinder engine was the work of Finlay Robertson Porter, a gifted automotive engineer with a need for speed. An oil-immersed multiple-disc clutch enabled unusually smooth gear-shifting for this era. The 300 cubic-inch engine developed 50 horsepower and has a top speed of 75 mph. To improve the vehicles handling characteristics, the drive was placed low in the frame. Sources: (text from) CarStyling.ru, (images from) www.vintageweb.net

The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost was introduced in 1907 when horses were still the preferred mode of travel and automobiles were considered loud, smelly and unreliable. The hand-built Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts were reliable and whisper quiet. In fact, they were arguably the quietest, most reliable and most technically advanced cars in the world at the time. The cars were so reliable in fact, that one Silver Ghost was run for 15,000 miles without stopping. The Silver Ghost was the choice of the rich and famous across the globe. Kings, queens, maharajas, tsars and emperors owned them. The demand for the Silver Ghost was so high, in fact, that in 1921 a plant was built in the United States. That factory produced “Springfield” Rolls Royce models until 1925. Source: www.jaylenosgarage.com; www.kolesa.ru; CarStyling.ru

The Curved Dash Oldsmobile is credited as the first high-volume mass-produced automobile. It was introduced by the Oldsmobile company in 1901 and produced through 1907. It is believed that 425 examples were produced the first year, 2,500 in 1902. A total of 19,000 units were built during the six years. During its run, it was the top selling car in America. With the prominent curved dash, tiller type steering, and the side-spring chassis, this car was very identifiable when compared to other cars of the era. The leather top and dos-a-dos seating were factory supplied accessories that could be purchased with the car or added later. A flat-mounted water-cooled single-cylinder engine, is situated at the center of the car, producing 4 hp, and relies on a brass gravity-feed carburetor. The transmission is a semi-automatic design with two forward speeds and one reverse. The car weighs 850 lbs. Sources: (context from) CarStyling.ru, (images from) General Motors Corp. & RM Auctions & Library of Congress Oldsmobile Curved Dash, 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash, 1902 Oldsmobile Model R Curved Dash (Pie Wagon), 1904 Oldsmobile Curved Dash, 1905

In the Old World, they were the first to produce a rigid closed body for a car, which was installed more than a hundred years ago on a Renault chassis, which served as the basis on which the architecture of an automobile body as such began to develop. Sources: (images from) Renault, (text from) CarStyling.ru